Snowfall has ended, but strong wind gusts today will result in blowing and drifting snow, reducing visibilities and accumulation on roads at times.

Wind Chill Warnings and Advisories are in effect for today through Sunday morning due to excessively cold, arctic air pushing across the region. A Wind Advisory has been issued for all of Southern New England for today, into this evening, with expected wind gusts between 40- 50 mph. Some downed tree limbs and isolated power outages may be experienced. The concern or any potential power outages is greater than normal given the bitterly cold air working into the region.

For a complete local forecast check out our media partner, WCVB.

Extreme cold conditions are expected with temperatures in the single digits or lower; wind chills well below zero. Gale force winds and heavy freezing spray will result in a dangerous situation for Mariners.

Yesterday’s coastal inundation will take hours, potentially days, to drain and the cold, arctic airmass may cause any lingering water to freeze. The National Weather Service has extended the Coastal Flood Statement along the east coast of MA for residual, lingering impacts.

Governor Baker and Lieutenant Governor Polito, together with local officials and members of the Legislature, will be surveying storm damage and ongoing recovery efforts today in Scituate and Winthrop, respectively.

Flooding impacts

MEMA will initiate an Initial Damage Assessment process in the coming days to estimate costs of emergency response and damage to public infrastructure. The Initial Damage Assessment process will enable MEMA to assess the likelihood of qualifying for federal disaster assistance under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.

The Office of Public Safety and Inspections has 3 teams currently visiting affected sites along the coast providing technical assistance to local building officials. The teams are assisting local Building Officials in evaluating the safety of any structures in their jurisdiction which may have been compromised by the storm and advising them how to rectify any issues that arise from storm damage.

Power outages

As of 11:02 a.m. (Jan. 5), there were 495 power outages, primarily concentrated along the coastline. There is concern that if areas still impacted with coastal flood waters freeze, there may be impacts to underground electrical lines. This may result in a slight increase in outage numbers as cold temperatures persist.

Travel impacts

Some roadways remain closed due to tidal flooding. The MBTA has resumed a normal rapid transit schedule, with some commuter rail delays. MBTA ferry services have been suspended.

Additional details can be found below in the MA ESF Updates.

Reading gas outage

Approximately 70 homes in Reading (Charles Street and surrounding streets) were impacted by a loss of gas service overnight. National Grid is on scene trying to identify the blockage, but do not have an estimated restoration time at this time. Town Officials are standing up a local Warming Center for residents.

Nantucket sewer main break

Yesterday, a 20 inch force main on Nantucket’s sewer system failed in 3-4 places on South Beach Street, just off Broad Street on the north side of town. The gravity flow of the broken line has, at this point, released over 1,000,000 gallons of sewerage into Nantucket Harbor. There are no reported impacts to residents at this time. No sewerage backups are being reported.

The break also occurred near a number of food establishments. The local Board of Health has ordered these shops closed until further inspections can be performed. The roadway where this break occurred is also in danger of failing due to the undermining of the road from the sewerage and the street has been closed. The location of the break is also the location of all of the island’s primary underground utilities (including the primary electric transmission line). As such, crews cannot break ground until Dig Safe marks the area in detail. Currently, no work is being performed, due to waiting for Dig Safe and on-going efforts to get work crews from Hyannis to the Island. MA National Guard will be supporting with a mission to fly nine workers from Barnstable Airport to Nantucket Airport. MEMA is coordinating an Emergency Dig Safe work ticket to have the site properly marked for excavation. The Dig Safe contractor is off island and will need to be transported to Nantucket as well. MEMA is attempting to coordinate with the MANG airlift.

Water main break in Harwich

At 6:30 am, Barnstable County reported that there was a major water main break in Harwich at Rt 28 and Donne Rd. Harwich Water Department and Harwich Police Department are on scene.

Utilize Massachusetts Alerts to receive emergency notifications and information from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service. Massachusetts Alerts is a free app that is available for Android and iPhones. To learn more about Massachusetts Alerts, and for information on how to download the free app onto your smartphone, visit: http://www.mass.gov/service-details/massachusetts-alerts-smartphone-app.

Utilize MEMA’s real-time power outage viewer to stay informed about current power outages in your community and region, and across the state, including information from utility companies about restoration times: http://mema.mapsonline.net/public.html